Tilt Comes to Columbus, Ohio

It was a Thursday night and my phone rang. As I saw who it was, I answered it in a surprised tone. Collin Snoek, the owner of Tilt Scooters was on the phone. Collin never calls me unless it is important because he is always busy working on one of the most respected scooter companies in the industry, Tilt. It was close to the Chicago street jam so I knew most of the Tilt team was being flown out to Chicago a week before to work on the full length Tilt DVD.

I had no idea it was every single person that rides for Tilt. Collin asked me if the entire Tilt team could come to my hometown of Columbus, Ohio to film for the video. I was surprised and honored that they would think of that, and then even more surprised when Collin said they would be there the next night.

The whole team was in great spirits while doing the wave for Issac’s clip.

Always rolling incredibly geared up.

Sure enough, they rolled in around 9pm the next day in a fifteen passenger van. Besides the riders, there was Conor Davidson who is the graphic designer for Tilt who was the photographer for the trip, and Jona Humbel who is the Tilt filmer. Besides their media role they are both amazing scooter riders also. Having these two people made it easy for the riders to focus on the only important thing, riding.

The PROTO and Tilt team have always had a very close relationship. I have gone on a lot of Tiltʼs filming trips and riders from Tilt have gone on PROTO trips before. Both teams are into the same vision of what we think scootering should be. Having ridden with each of the people on the team individually many times I knew it was going to be a reunion, but this was every single rider at one time. To say the least, I was expecting a very fun, hectic trip.

Tyler taking a break.

Jordan hanging onto a front nose blunt.

“The PROTO and Tilt team have always had a very close relationship. I have gone on a lot of Tiltʼs filming trips and riders from Tilt have gone on PROTO trips before. Both teams are into the same vision of what we think scootering should be.”

I was in contact with Steven Tongson about providing some photo content for Dialed when I got news of the trip. I instantly thought it would be a perfect opportunity to do a article about my hometown and Tilt. I took out my camera on every break from riding my scooter I had. Trips like this donʼt come very often, and everything that happens on them is like watching scooter history happen live.

I knew it was important to document this. I have close relationships with most of the riders, so they are used to me pointing a camera at them all the time. I am actually more interested in the lifestyle aspect of what street scooter riders do, than the riding itself. I take a step back and look at it in a documentary perspective. These people are true individuals. Nobody rides a scooter like any one of them, and that is how they have made a name for themselves.

Erik’s nose manual control skills are a sight to see in person.

The media coverage was intense at every spot.

Ralph getting pitted after jumping a head high construction cone.

“Trips like this donʼt come very often, and everything that happens on them is like watching scooter history happen live.”

The three long days of the trip was nothing but constant scootering. We would roll out at 10am and get back at 10pm every day. Despite the expected injuries of some riders, the trip went perfectly smooth. The only way for twelve people to function that seamlessly is a common desire for their end goal, to make one of the best full length scooter videos the community has ever seen.

It is always a treat to take people that aren’t from Columbus to spots that I have ridden or looked at for years and see what they can do on them. Some tricks I thought were not possible, or could have never thought of were done on spots I’ve ridden for years. Since the whole team was there it was a diverse group with varying riding styles. If I took them all to a spot it was a given that at least one person could film a trick there because they have all aspects of riding covered.

The crew was as XXL as it can get.

On trips with a lot of people everything takes twice as long. Erik, Conor, Jona, Ralph, and Tyler wait for people to find Jon in walmart.

A classic Columbus spot, this is always a fun time to train on the rhythm of pyramids.

It was surreal seeing people gathering from the corners of the globe in Columbus. I would have never thought that Jon Archer from Sydney, Australia would be slaying the transition at my local skatepark, and eating sandwiches from the local deli I go to frequently. When I show people around my hometown it gives me a new perspective on riding in it. Riding can become stagnant when there are few people around to keep me motivated.

Itʼs a different sort of place because its not California, its not trendy and the spots arenʼt blown out. Itʼs a place where riders can come that is isolated from the scooter world. When I see footage from places like Ohio and the surrounding Midwest areas I see more character in it. The footage is more enjoyable to look at because it represents how raw street riding can be, not just sunny skies and skatepark smooth concrete.

Jona was the designated filmer for the trip with a camera twice as large as him.

I always forget how good at park Erik is. He soared this one foot table top all the way into the deep end.

Another classic Columbus spot, Ralphʼs trick here in the tilt video is so gnarly because these ledges are skinny and hard to stay on.

The whole trip I was nervous if the team would like the spots I showed them. Collin told me it was up to me to bring them to spots, so all the pressure was on me. On filming trips everything is happening so fast, so when it is happening you donʼt feel like you are getting much footage usually. When you look back on it, you remember all the tricks you did. It starts to jog your memory when you realize you rode for twelve hours every day, that you definitely got something done.

I asked everybody if they enjoyed the trip at the end, nervously, and they all had a great time. Now that the Tilt video is out I feel like it’s going to make people want to flock here by the dozens. I am fine with that, but it will always remain the small town I am familiar with. Collin was pleased because everybody went home with a few more clips and a few more photos. Columbus was checked off their list of great cities to ride a scooter in.